Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Antonio Conte returns to the Etihad, a stadium that helped announce him to English football. Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat of Manchester City in December 2016 came midway through the 13-match winning run that seized control of that title race. Like Conte, Pep Guardiola was in his first Premier League season, and his team had no answer to Chelsea’s vigour and power. More than five years on and Guardiola is master of all he surveys, part of the furniture, commanding a bespoke, multifunctional squad. Conte has gained a reputation for blowing up and blowing out when all is not to his satisfaction. His Sky Italia interview this week was explicit in its opinion of Tottenham’s January transfer window. Conte taking on Guardiola in a battle between two of the game’s finest coaches should be an enticing prospect, but the Italian does not appear to believe his squad is capable of making it a contest. JB

Manchester City v Tottenham, Saturday 5.30pm

The visit of Brentford to the Etihad gives Arsenal a chance to show how much things have changed since the opening day of the season, when Mikel Arteta apologised to fans following a 2-0 defeat. The side that Arteta picks on Saturday will be very different to the one that played back in August, not least because Bernd Leno is no longer first-choice goalkeeper, Callum Chambers has been sold and Pablo Marí and Folarin Balogun have left on loan. Aside from the quality that has been added since, Arsenal seem to have developed a grittiness that has served them well in recent weeks. With Brentford no longer as buoyant, this is a prime opportunity for Arsenal to take a step closer to Champions League qualification, a possibility that seemed far-fetched a few months ago. PD

Arsenal v Brentford, Saturday